The Meaning of Us
by Saigon238
Summary: AU. Can we make 'you' and 'me' into 'us?


Hi, I'm back after roughly six months of no writing with a new story! Yay! This is a sequel to "White Light" and waaaay before "Please Smile Again", so I'm jumping around the timeline here, but even if you haven't read the other two, keep reading this one cuz it doesn't make much difference :) Hopefully there aren't any mistakes, and enjoy!

* * *

Twenty years after retiring from the dance world, it was time to open the White Light Dance Studio. A gala was thrown in the grand ballroom. Family, friends, and acquaintances had all been invited. Friends from the dance world had also flown in to show their support. An incentive for potential students was offered: free dance lessons for a week. Multiple demonstrations were planned, and thanks to Ukitake and Unohana's extremely successful past with K-ballet, there were quite a lot of press.

Ukitake beamed at his old best friends, "Thanks for coming, Shunsui, Ryuuken."

Shunsui boomed, "I wouldn't miss this for the world! Retsu-chan, he's lucky to have you." He gestured to the two people next to him. The young man had sand-coloured messy hair and a lopsided grin, and his partner was an exquisite woman with long purple hair cascading down her back. "This is Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi, my students. Or well, used to be my students. They're professionals now. You probably remember them."

"Haven't lost your playboy attitude, I see," Unohana commented dryly. "Nice to see you again, Kisuke-kun, Yoruichi-chan. And is this your son, Ryuuken?" She gestured to a raven-haired six-year-old by his side.

Ryuuken nodded. "Yes, Retsu. Say hello, Uryuu," he nudged his son lightly.

The boy looked up from his book and smiled slightly. "Hi."

"He's inherited your cool attitude," Ukitake teased the older Ishida.

"'Sup, Ukitake?"

"Kaname! You made it! Thanks for coming here all the way from America."

The world-renowned breakdancing legend punched Ukitake lightly on the arm. "'Course I did. Bought a plane ticket the day you sent me the invitation."

Unohana spotted a tall dark-haired man with a white hairpiece standing near the entrance of the ballroom. "Is that Kuchiki Byakuya?" Unohana asked, surprised. The nobleman and business king was a celebrity, Japan's own Prince William. That he was here tonight spoke a lot and most probably meant that the opening of White Light would be all over Tokyo by tomorrow afternoon. "How did he get here?"

"What do you think?" Yoruichi grinned, her teeth dazzlingly white against her dark skin. "Byakuya-bo and I go way back. Thought it would be a nice 'good luck' present." She pointed at the petite woman next to him. "See her? She's Kuchiki Hisana, his wife. They just got married a while ago. She's _impossibly_ talented, and _very_ interested in dancing."

"And since Kuchiki-san comes from the same background as you do," Unohana began slowly, the full implication of Yoruichi's speech unfolding in her mind.

"We might have our first customers!" Ukitake finished for her, overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Yoruichi-san!"

"Always the caring one, eh, Koneko-chan?" Urahara teased Yoruichi, narrowly avoiding a slap on his cheek.

"Shut up, Kisuke," she said angrily, but smiling widely. Everybody could see that she didn't mean it.

"And now, we have a dance to perform. Ukitake-san, perhaps you should go over and answer any questions Kuchiki-san might have?" Yoruichi's eyes sparkled, glad that she could have helped her mentor's old friends.

Ukitake nodded. Urahara grabbed Yoruichi's hand and dragged her to the dance floor. After a short discussion with Unohana, Ukitake began to work his way to the crowd, smiling and making small talk with whoever he could as he made his way over to the newlywed couple. Connections were an amazing thing. Yoruichi, who was also of a highly-respected noble family, had been Byakuya's playmate and close friend as a child. It was well known in the dancing circle that they had been partners as teenagers. He never knew that their shared past could have meant so much for the studio.

The chatter subsided into silence as the room went dark. A space was cleared in the center, a spotlight lighting up Urahara and Yoruichi as they launched a quirky and fun jive. Ukitake watched and smiled, listening to the awed whispers of the crowd around him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dressing rooms, Matsumoto Rangiku was in a mess. They were due to go on in less than five minutes, and her partner was nowhere to be seen. Her self-control was at her limit, and she desperately restrained from screaming. Where was he?

"Gomen ne, Ran-chan. I couldn't find my dance shoes." Finally, he decided to turn up. Rangiku rapidly turned to face him, her golden tresses bouncing on her shoulders.

Ichimaru Gin. Her best friend and dance partner. Not to mention also the most frustrating person in the world.

"Wah, you look nice, Ran-chan." His customary grin was plastered on his face, his eyes mere slits. It was a wonder that he could even see. "You might want to pull up that sleeve a bit."

Rangiku immediately looked at her shoulder, where the sleeve was slipping down. She hastily pulled it up, her face tinted red. "Thanks, Gin. You look nice too."

To say that he looked nice would have been an understatement. He was downright _gorgeous_. His form-fitting collared black shirt was open almost down to the stomach, showing off his perfect figure. The light glinted softly off his silver hair. His sleeves were also rolled up to the elbows, exposing his forearms.

"Come on, Ran-chan! Yoru-san and Kisuke have finished!" Ichimaru offered his hand to his slightly flustered partner. "Dance with me?"

* * *

Two years after the grand opening of White Light Dance Studio, Ichimaru and Rangiku successfully made the leap from amateur to professional. A few other competitive dancers had joined what they dubbed "the big White Light family", and not only in the ballroom dancing field. "_The Ice Prince_" Hitsugaya Toushiro, Hisagi Shuuhei and Kurotsuchi Nemu soon became fast friends with the original pair.

"Ukitake-sensei!" Although they had long since become professionals and Ukitake no longer taught them, they still called him that out of habit.

Rangiku burst into his office with Ichimaru in tow and yelled, "What's the meaning of this?"

Ukitake looked up from his mountain of paperwork on his desk and was greeted by the sight of a red-faced and obviously angry Rangiku, and an embarrassed Ichimaru who had an apologetic smile on his face. "What's the meaning of what?" he asked confusedly.

"Why are we teaching a class?"

Ukitake sighed deeply. If Retsu was here, he wouldn't be having such trouble. "Ichimaru-kun, didn't you tell her?"

Ichimaru ruffled his hair and said apologetically, "I tried, Ukitake-sensei, but she wouldn't listen."

"Rangiku-chan, we're short on instructors at the moment, so until we find replacements, all senior dancers are going to have to teach a class. I think you understand," Ukitake said sternly.

"Yes, but why is it the _wedding class_?"Rangiku made a face. The wedding class was a special course for engaged couples. Brides and grooms always had a first dance at weddings, and many didn't want to just sway back and forth – but didn't want to commit fully to ballroom either. So the wedding classes were created to teach fiancés and fiancées how to put forth a great dance on their big day, but without the commitment. She didn't like teaching people who didn't have any real love for dancing. "Chibi-chan – "

" – is already teaching the teenager classes."

"Shuuhei – "

" – is busy on Sundays."

"Then what about – "

"Nemu doesn't teach ballroom. Retsu and myself are also busy with training the children's classes."

"Fine then," Rangiku grumbled, far from graciously accepting her defeat. "Come on, Gin. Let's just get this over."

Ichimaru followed his partner out the door, mouthing a 'sorry' at his former teacher. Rangiku could really be stubborn sometimes. Until she cooled down, he was going to have to take over the teaching role.

* * *

"And one-two-three, one-two-three, turn –backs straight guys," Ichimaru said cheerfully, walking around the room, observing the dancers with a critical, but customarily slitted, eye. Here and there, he stopped to correct posture or foot placement.

Today they were teaching a basic slow waltz. This was usually the dance the majority of the couples learned because it was simple, elegant, and romantic.

He found that teaching wasn't quite the chore he thought it would be, and Rangiku seemed to be cheering up slightly. Instead of snapping or grumbling at the students, she started to take on a gentler approach, although they were still quite intimidated by her. Ichimaru chuckled quietly to himself. She wasn't all that bad really, but could really be scary sometimes. The students were eager to learn (mostly it was the brides, but that was to be expected) and mastered the steps quickly.

Ichimaru glanced at the clock on the wall. Rangiku was late, and it was usually him who was late. The students were starting to get restless and fidgety, with the occasional bored yawn.

Rangiku rushed into the studio, wearing one of her Latin costumes. By definition, Latin costumes were the racier and more exciting ones, and this one was no exception. It consisted of two pieces, a matching top and skirt done in a brightly-coloured sequined pattern. The skirt was cut diagonally, from mid-thigh to knee-length and slitted down the long side. The top was a form-fitting halter top with a diamond-shaped hole, exposing the hollow of her throat and her midriff.

"Sorry, I couldn't find – "

" – your dance shoes, right?" Ichimaru teased. "Stop copying my excuses, Ran-chan."

Ichimaru noticed the admiring looks she was receiving and was grateful all of the men in the room were spoken for. He didn't feel particularly bothered by it, but he felt strangely protective of his best friend, and instinctively took a small step forward, sending out an unconscious message. 'If you want to get to her, you're going to have to get through me first'. Luckily, several of the brides were already keeping their husbands-to-be in control.

"Ran-chan, don't ya think that's a little inappropriate to wear today?" he whispered in her ear, "Can't ya see the brides-to-be glarin' at ya like that? Danger alert is on red."

"I just thought it would be nice to wear tonight, since we're starting on Latin!" Her innocent tone was at odds with the mischievous smile on her face. "Do you like it, Ichimaru?"

"I never said I didn't, did I?" he grinned even wider. "Let's start now, shall we?" He held out a hand, waiting for her to take it.

He wasn't prepared for her to slap it away, even if it was playful. "No, no, Gin. Remember, Latin is my territory. I'll do the explanations. You just stand back and relax." Turning to the class, she smiled. "I've had demands from quite a lot of you about teaching more…sensual dances than the waltz. I've talked it over with Gin, and we've decided to teach the rumba."

"Rumba is the most romantic of all Latin dances," she continued, pacing the room. "It is, to put it simply, the dance of love. Perfect for the big day, ne? And the basics aren't hard to grasp, so it should be relatively easy to learn in two lessons or so." She clapped her hands in anticipation and said, "Alright, let's get started!"

An hour later, Rangiku was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. "No, no, no!" she cried. "Hold her closer, Hayashi-san! She's your _fiancée_; you can't be shy to touch her!" The poor man (who was holding his fiancée as though they were awkward middle-school students at a dance) hurriedly corrected his stance, his face looking as if it was going to burst into flames.

"Ran-chan, calm down! You're going to scare off everybody like that!" Ichimaru scolded lightly as he walked past to correct another couple's posture. He was a little frightened of his partner too at the moment. She looked like she was ready to _murder_ the next person who got something wrong.

She hissed angrily like a cat. Of all people she expected to get the rumba right, it would definitely have been an engaged couple. They had been doing so well in the last hour mastering the basics, so she thought it was logical to have them do small routines. She needed to show them what she expected. Shooting a meaningful look at Ichimaru, who nodded back, she clapped her hands loudly.

"Stop!" All activity ceased as everybody turned to look at her. "This is the _rumba_. Where is the love?" she demanded. Ichimaru walked over to her. _Now whatever do you want me for?_ he thought.

Rangiku hooked her knee around his hip, moulding her body against his. Automatically, one hand went to her back and the other to her thigh to support her. _A demonstration, eh? _he thought. _Ya could have told me. I like surprises, but only if they're good ones_. She thought, _Work with me Gin, please._ "You have to hold her like the feel of her breath on your skin is the only reason you're living."

"Let her go," she continued, and he spun her away, stalking behind her as she whirled across the studio floor, the students hastily making room for her. "Even though it feels like you're being torn into shreds."

"Throw her back-" He grabbed her hand and spun her into him, her back making impact with his chest. She wrapped an arm back around his neck while his hand trailed down her body. As his fingers traced bare skin, her muscles tensed from the sparks of electricity that followed in their path. She heard a few muffled gasps from the brides and whistles from the grooms. " -like every moment without her was the utmost torture."

"And then finish-" They ended in a combination lunge and dip, her right leg hooked around his, her arm spread across his shoulders, her body nearly parallel to the floor as her left leg slid backwards between his. She could feel his lips brushing her neck as it arched backwards, the ends of her hair nearly touching the floor. " -as if you're never going to be apart again."

The room exploded with applause. Her heart thumping wildly, Rangiku placed a hand on Ichimaru's cheek as he pulled her back up. "Thanks," she whispered in his ear, grinning.

Ichimaru grinned back, not his usual plastered-on one, but a genuine smile this time, and punched her arm playfully in reply. Then he did something completely out of the ordinary. He opened his eyes.

Rangiku stared into the dizzying depths of those scarlet orbs. She had only ever seen them once before, and that was almost six years ago. Those eyes held worlds of knowledge and emotion in them, and the most prominent one that she saw was, _love_?

His eyes snapped shut again into their fox-like slits, and the genuine smile disappeared back into a mask. Rangiku suddenly felt a sudden sense of loss. It was so long since he had come out from behind his protective shell. And she liked the real Gin, not the half-concealed one.

"Well," she said cheerfully, forcing a smile on her face and turning to face her eager pupils. "I suppose you get what I mean?"

* * *

"Nice job, Ran-chan," Ichimaru commented cheerfully. "They got it in no time!"

"Yeah, if you don't count the first hour," Rangiku replied dryly as they watched the last couples walk out the door, blissfully unaware of the world around them.

"Now, the wedding class wasn't so bad, was it?" Ichimaru teased gleefully, reminding her of her tantrum in Ukitake's office.

The blonde sighed, "Don't go telling Ukitake-sensei that ok?"

"Of course I won't," he replied, his slitted eyes glittering with mischief.

"Geez, we're seventeen already, so try to act your age!" she slapped him, her eyes laughing.

"Ya should listen to your own advice, Ran-chan!" he dropped his grin and mock-pouted at her. She started laughing hysterically at his comical expression. "What?" he asked her, and made his pout even more pronounced. He knew perfectly why she was laughing, but just wanted to tease her.

"Your…face…" She was gasping for breath between words, and her stomach hurt from laughing so much. Even though she knew that he was doing it to tease her, she still couldn't help but laugh.

"What about my face?" he asked. She shook her head and refused to answer. "Oh, c'mon, Ran-chan, tell!" She still didn't answer. "Ran-chan, tell me before I tickle you." Still no answer.

"Alright, you asked for it!" and he pretended to pounce onto her. Rangiku squealed and rolled out of the way. He proceeded to chase her all around the studio, eventually catching her from behind by the waist, picking her up and spinning her around, ignoring all the protests.

Then suddenly, they were face-to-face. There was less than a centimetre between them. Their lips were getting closer and closer by the second. "Gin…" she breathed.

Ichimaru promptly panicked and did the first thing that came to mind.

"Ow…" Rangiku rubbed her knees. Ichimaru looked away, but not before he caught a flash of hurt in her ice-blue eyes. "I really wasn't expecting that."

"Sorry," he apologized and helped her up.

* * *

"Rangiku-san, are you ok?"

The blonde looked up at the only other female dancer (excluding Unohana) at the studio. Kurotsuchi Nemu, a 12 year old Chinese Folk dancer. Rangiku promptly smiled. "Of course I'm ok, Nemu-chan. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Rangiku-san, you can't fool me. My father is a psychologist, and I've been raised to read expressions and body language. What's wrong?" This was the first time Nemu had ever told her anything about her personal life, and she was surprised that her guise was seen through so quickly.

"It's nothing. I'm just having a few… problems," she said vaguely.

"Is it about Ichimaru-san?" Nemu asked suddenly.

Rangiku was caught off-guard. "W-What?"

"So it _is_ about Ichimaru-san!"

"N-No, I never said that!" she tried to cover up her momentary shock.

"Stop lying. You like him don't you?"

Rangiku tried to change the subject. "Nemu-chan, aren't you supposed to be at class now?"

"Actually, class is cancelled today because Unohana-sensei is sick," she said simply. "But still, you like Ichimaru-san right? Not as a friend, but more?" she persisted.

Rangiku admitted defeat. "Alright, alright. There's no point in hiding from you, genius." That child was too smart for her own good. No wonder she finds out everything before everybody else. "I like him." It was such a simple answer, and yet it held worlds of meaning.

Nemu continued to ask questions. "Have you kissed?"

"Huh? Erm… now that I think about it, no. But we almost did." Rangiku tilted her head to one side, trying to figure out the meaning behind that question, but to no avail. Nemu wasn't showing anything. "What about it?"

All of a sudden, Nemu snapped. "But why haven't you?"

This was a rare show of emotion from the Chinese folk dancer. "Erm… because he doesn't know how I feel," Rangiku replied, slightly embarrassed to have all her secrets overturned by a girl 8 years her junior.

Nemu very uncharacteristically snorted with disdain. "You don't know anything, do you, Rangiku-san?" She stared at her senpai, anger smouldering in her dark eyes. "Ichimaru-san knows alright. He knows how you feel and definitely knows how he feels. But it's just because you," Nemu pointed accusingly at the dumbstruck blonde, "You haven't made a _single_ move, that's why he doesn't want to tell you anything! You got that? If you want to be with him, you can't just sit there and do nothing!"

With that, Nemu stormed off, leaving Rangiku alone in the girls' changing rooms to ponder her words.

* * *

_Geez, I can't think!_ Rangiku cradled her head in her hands. The bin was overflowing with discarded floor plans and notes. How was she supposed to choreograph her and Gin's dance for the upcoming performance if Nemu's words kept echoing back and forth in her head?

_Ichimaru-san knows alright. He knows how you feel and definitely knows how he feels…_

"Shut up, Nemu," she growled under her breath. Setting her iPod onto 'shuffle' mode, she made her way to the fire exit. She needed some fresh air and time to clear her mind. Little did she know that someone was already there.

"Gin?"

The silver-haired man turned to face her, his never-faltering grin plastered on his face. But this time, she could sense that it was all a ruse. There was something forced about it, unlike his usual carefree and teasing attitude.

Rangiku stepped forward, concerned for her best friend. "What's wrong?"

"What do ya mean, Ran-chan? Everything's fine," he said cheerfully. She caught the way his tone was strained, obviously forced.

"Gin, I know you too well. What's wrong?" she persisted.

Ichimaru averted his line of sight to somewhere beyond her shoulder, fidgeting uncomfortably. "Fine. It's just that I was thinking about something."

Rangiku relaxed. So he was just thinking. "Well, I was thinking about something too. You know I still need to choreograph our dance and I thought I would be able to think better up here." She shoved a bunch of papers at Ichimaru. "So, I thought that maybe we could…"

She continued babbling about potential choreography, and Ichimaru just stared at her. She looked gorgeous and she was practically glowing with anticipation for the performance. He was completely captivated by her dancing ice-blue eyes, and was oblivious to everything else happening around him.

"Gin? Gin?"

Ichimaru snapped out of his reverie. "Huh? Yes, what?"

Rangiku pouted and put her hands on her hips. "You weren't listening, were you?" she accused him. "Don't forget what Ukitake-sensei used to say, "There's no 'us' without 'you' and 'me'", so dancing can't be just me. Listen up!"

"Hey, I was listening!" he defended himself, "For the first ten seconds, at least." He grinned mischievously.

She whacked him on the head with her papers, giggling. "Come on, it's late. We need to go or else Ukitake-sensei's gonna lock us in."

He turned to face the setting sun again, leaning on the railing. "I want to stay for a little while longer." Inside his head, he kept repeating, _stay, Ran-chan, stay_.

"Alright then, I'll be going now!" She didn't see his face fall in disappointment and hurt. "See you tomorrow! And don't call my mobile, 'cuz it's broken right now. I left it in the washing machine." He heard the familiar tap-tap-tap of her heels fade away. Gin thought to follow her, but decided against it. He wasn't going to show her anything if it would make her distanced from him. After all, he knew how she felt, but she didn't.

* * *

Rangiku was woken up by a very loud _bleep_ from her mobile phone. _Wait, isn't my phone broken? Oh well. But geez, who's calling at this unholy hour? _She grumbled, opening her text message inbox. _Hmm? Gin?_

_Ran-chan, you might never get this message, but I really wanted to tell you something. And what better chance than when your phone is broken so you will never know? You remember how we first met?_

"How could I forget, silly? You looked so awkward in the dance studio with all those other kids, and you were so quiet. It was like you weren't even there!" she giggle softly. "When you fell over, and I helped you up, you just mumbled and ran off! Weirdo."

_I thought you were really weird. Like, not in a bad way though. You were so bubbly and sincere, it was almost creepy to me back then. I was curious about how you could be that way, since I knew practically nobody who was like that._

"Ditto, Gin."

_Gradually, we became friends, and you were less of a nuisance. And now, erm… how should I put it? _

"Come on, tell me already!" She scrolled down to the next page.

_I love you._

Rangiku's heart skipped a beat.

_Will you go out with me? You don't need to give me an answer yet. I'll wait for you, for as long as it takes. Love, Gin._

_PS: Do you love me too?

* * *

_

"Ichimaru Gin!" Rangiku burst through the studio doors, panting heavily.

Ichimaru snapped his phone shut and turned around, the same old foxy grin plastered on his face. "Oh hi, Ran-chan! What brings ya here right now? It's really late ya know."

"Yes."

His smile faded and was replaced by a look of utter confusion. "What?"

"Yes, I remember how we met. Yes, I will go out with you. And yes, I love you. That's my answer." Rangiku stopped. _Oh damnit. I just rushed out the door without really thinking! Baka Matsumoto Rangiku. _Now _what's he going to think?_

A pair of slender pale arms slid around her, pulling her into a strong warm embrace. "Ya kno, I never thought there would be a day when all three questions would be answered." She put her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Well, now they are."

And they stood there, sharing their warmth and love with each other.

"Thanks to both of you, we've had quite a lot of positive feedback from our clients. It seems like you two are the best at teaching this class," Ukitake smiled over the report. "What do you say about doing the wedding class again next year?"

"Yes!" Rangiku squealed excitedly, "I can't wait for it!" Ichimaru just smiled, as usual, but inside he was quite ready to jump for joy.

"Quite a change from the beginning, isn't it Rangiku," Ukitake said amusedly, remembering the tantrums his most rebellious student used to throw, "Well, I think I can see why."

A diamond on Rangiku's middle finger caught the light, and sparkled with the same intensity as their future.

* * *

Okay, so it wasn't as good as I had hoped it to be, but reviews please? :)


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